


Can't stop the signal

by gwmclintock88



Series: Across the Whedonverse [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Firefly
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Soulmarks, Whedonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2015-04-03
Packaged: 2018-03-21 03:21:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3675525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gwmclintock88/pseuds/gwmclintock88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mal didn't like his options, but asking Coulson for help was his only option. They had to get this information out, share it, and maybe then no one else would have to go through the hell they put his crew through. </p><p>His words weren't something most would say, and he kind of gave up expecting anyone to say it. Except someone did, and well, then it made this all worth it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Can't stop the signal

**Author's Note:**

> Set in a universe where Mal once worked for SHIELD, and the crew of Serenity now flies around the planet doing jobs just trying to stay afloat. At least, that's how it was until they dealt with Miranda. Now that info's burning a hole in his ship.
> 
> One note: this is not in the same universe as any of my other stories for this series. No story is related to another unless noted.

_Mal_

            “You sure this is a good idea, Captain?”

            “It’s a horrible idea, not like we’ve got much of a choice.” Mal stood in the cockpit, overseeing his pilot and his second-in-command overseeing him. He loved Zoe, really he did, but days like today he was thankful she wasn’t his wife.

            “They have tried to kill you,” Wash added, and of course the man took his wife’s side.

            “Only a little, and those guys were Hydra. Not, quit dawdling and land us.”

            “Aye aye, Captain.” Wash turned back to the controls. He patted Zoe on the shoulder and headed out to check on the others.

            Jayne would need to be reminded of limiting his weapons, and the doc of watching out for River, and Kaylee of the doc. Normal stuff, realy. He’d used to check in with Inara, but ever since some pale brooder in LA said her words, she’d been absent from the crew more often than not. By the time Wash got them safely on the ground, everyone had already wandered down to the hanger. He gave them one last look, gently reminding them not to share anything important.

            They’re a family, and given the scuffles SHIELD’s been tossed into, family was the only thing you could count on in the end. Even Jayne. They’d been through hell in the last month and that only made things clearer to Mal: Crew as family, be weary of the rest.

            Once the doors of the hangar opened, Mal lead them down the ramp to the welcoming party. Mal stopped in front of the group, greeting a man in a suit. “Agent Coulson.”

            “It’s Director now. Welcome to SHIELD.” Coulson shook his hand.

            Mal smirked and looked around. “Love what you’ve done with the place. More homely, and less…snakey.” This got a small smile out of one of the agents, a young girl standing next to May. He gave her one in return, and said, “Still, I could do without the whole evil underground lair.”

            “Gives me the creeps,” Jayne said from somewhere over his left shoulder.

            “Not hard, but man does have a point,” Mal said to Coulson.

            “I’ll keep that in mind, Agent Reynolds.”

            “It’s Captain,” Mal corrected, his smile hardening a bit, “and I’d appreciate if you told your agents to stand down.” He nodded toward the group. Most had some type of un-holstered weapon on them, except the two scientists in the center of the group.

            “Can’t be too careful these days.” Coulson made a move with his hand. The agents holstered their weapons, but remained tense and alert. “Now, you said you needed help with something.”

            Zoe and Jayne moved slightly behind him. Their hands went to their own pistols (or grenades in Jayne’s case). Mal just shrugged. “We figured y’all be more than happy to talk about Miranda.”

            The air around them stilled, but he got the desired response. Coulson’s already pale face lost any color as he glanced at May. The two of them communicated with their eyes. Must have been an intense conversation as May even looked perturbed. Most of the others looked at each other in confusion, except for the intimidating black man standing at the back of their group, along with the dangerous blonde standing next to him.

            “My office,” Coulson finally said. “Your crew need anything?”

            Mal shrugged his shoulders, silently thankful this was at least going well. For now. “A decent meal, place to wash up. Maybe a look around some of your parts. Kaylee’s been asking and well, things have gotten a bit out of hand trying to keep flyin’.”

            “We don’t fix the primary buffer panel, we ain’t flyin’ nowhere, sir.” Kaylee stepped fowrad to give him her pout.

            Coulson looked at her, but few on the planet had a defense against Kaylee. “Mac, please show Kaylee around, help her with what you can. Hunter, Bobbi, show our guests to the mess hall.”

            “If it’s alright, I would like to speak with Doctor Simmons on a few things.” Simon tried to step forward but his sister tugged him in another direction toward an antique car.

            “I have a few projects that could use your insight as well Doctor Tam,” one of the scientists said, a young, British woman. Coulson nodded his approval, prompting an even larger smile to appear on the woman’s face. “Excellent. If you would follow me.”

            Mal grabbed Simon by the shoulder as he moved to follow. “If you need to trade for something, let me know.” The doc nodded, dragging his sister along. Mal looked back at the others, “Jayne, Wash. Grab a bit to eat. We’ll join you in a bit.”

            Jayne nodded and stomped down the ramp. “Got to be something better than protein bars.”        

            Wash gave his wife a short kiss and a few words before following their arms expect. Zoe would be sticking with him, if only to ensure he didn’t do anything too stupid. It usually worked out that way, though, sometimes he’d take Jayne along with if they needed the muscle.

            “Reynolds?” Coulson motioned him to follow before signaling May and the young girl to join him. The walk wasn’t far, and once there, Coulson ushered them all into his office before locking them in. Mal shared a look with Zoe, who moved along the office to give them cover – what little good it would do against the Calvary.

            Before he could get his bearings, May spoke to him. “How do you know about Miranda?”

            “A gentleman doesn’t reveal all his secrets,” Mall said, ignoring the low growl and turned toward Coulson. He wasn’t afraid of her (weary, he wasn’t insane, but too many women threatened him for that to really scare him anymore). Plus, this involved family and like hell he’d reveal those secrets to SHIELD.

            “Let’s see it?” Coulson moved behind his desk

            Mal reached for the hard drive with everything on it – all the files, videos and databases on Mirada, stored on an encrypted drive. As his fingers brushed the drive, he paused. “We’re not your soldiers, Coulson. Not going to jump just cause you say so. We’re making a deal.”

            “A deal?” Coulson leaned forward, arching an eyebrow as if to question his purpose to even be here. Zoe nodded her approval, finally understanding his play.

            “Not all the files made its way online after the fall,” Mal said. “Something managed to stay hidden, probably done by someone who wouldn’t want any of this to come to light.” He leaned back against the table and crossed his arms. “You get this, it goes out – and stays out.”

            “Why wouldn’t we agree to this?” the young girl asked. She glanced between everyone, trying to gauge the conversation. “Can’t stop the signal.”  She shrugged her shoulders and went back to typing on her laptop.

            Mal froze as his words were spoken. The words wrapped around his left thigh since he was six. He stared at her, trying to find something to tell her, something important to say in response. She deserved nothing less, but nothing came to him.

            “It damns you too,” Zoe said, stepping in to fill the void, “maybe to the point of no return. SHIELD may not recover from it.”

            “Miranda’s a dark spot all of its own for SHIELD, regardless of whether or not Hydra was involved,” Coulson added. He sat back into his chair, looking more of the wearing leader than the resolute soldier Mal remembered.

            “We all joined for different reasons, but we’re all in the same place now,” Mal said, finally finding words worth sharing. His crew, his family already agreed but right now he had to convince Coulson. “Sure as I know anything, I know this – they will try this again. I don’t know who they are, and when it will happen. Maybe in a year by AIM, or ten by Stark. They’ll swing back to the belief they can make people…better. And I do not hold to that. So no more runnin’. No more hidin’ in the shadows. And with or without your help, this is getting out there. Even if I have to drag my dying body to finish it. I’m done playing by your rules – I aim to misbehave.”

            The sharp intake from the young girl clinched it in his mind. She had his mark somewhere. He didn’t glance at her. Instead, he locked eyes with Coulson, staring him down and trying to get him to cave. Love may be on his horizon but they need to pass through this hell first.

            “Fine,” Coulson said, nodding toward the girl, his girl. “Do it.”

            Mal let a smile grow as he slipped the hard drive out of his pocket and place it on the table. The girl looked up at him and offered him a gentle smile. “I’m Skye.”

            “We’ll talk later,” he said. Everyone else stared at him, but Zoe probably had a little smirk on her face. She’d seen his words, most of his crew had, what with being left in the desert, naked, by a con-woman they tricked. “And call me Mal.” He grasped her shoulder and gave it gentle squeeze before standing upright. “We’ll grab somethin’ to eat and let you work on this.”

            “Thanks,” she said, returning the smile as she got to work.

            Mal stood upright and looked over at Coulson. With a nod, he left. Unsurprisingly the door was now unlocked and he knew Zoe was not going to let him get away with not speaking about this. Still, things were looking up, and maybe after a meal he hoped to talk with her a little more.

_Skye_

            She did her best to ignore DC’s and May’s eyes on her as she worked on setting up the message. It would bleed outward, spreading like a wildfire if she set it up right. She’d done something similar right before SHIELD picked her up. She specialized in spreading information, in getting others to watch it. This wasn’t a video, and the glimpses she got of the information on the drive as she worked frightened her.

            Pacification to an extreme. People just laying down on the floor and giving up. G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate. Images of people closing their eyes after a while and not waking up. Hundreds of people, a whole town, and they all just let themselves die.

            These weren’t the scariest things on the files. About a tenth of a percent of the population had the opposite response. Aggression to the max. Beyond the max even. She closed out of one video of a man raping someone and starting to eat the – oh okay, she’s not looking at that again. Or sleeping. Or maybe even eating.

            Some of the files she placed warnings on as she worked to get everything settled. Others she left alone. She built websites and connections to make sure people could draw their own conclusions. She already recorded everything for this initial message, and only needed to splice together some of her old files to prep others. She may not be associated with the Rising Tide, but it seems she still could use that defunct group for something good after all.

            “Skye?” She glanced up from the screen to see Coulson sitting next to her. “Are you…are you okay?”

            “Yeah, I’m okay. I’m fine,” she said. She felt her body shaking and tried to hold it in. She had one good moment these past week when Mal said her words and the calm washed over her.  Now, she had to deal with this, and she forced herself to stop the vibrations, to stop shaking.

            “Where are your words?” He asked in a soft voice.

            “Somewhere private,” she said, trying to keep the blush out of her face. “And I’m almost done.”

            “You’ve been only working on it for an hour,” Coulson asked.

            May stepped closer, and Skye nearly jumped out her seat hearing the older woman move. “You’re using your Rising Tide protocols.”

            “Yeah, it makes things easier,” Skye said, shrugging her shoulders. She tapped away before dropping her hands. “Okay, it just needs to finish organizing everything, setting up a backscatter and prevent anyone from tracing it here. Can I…I need to grab something to eat.”

            Coulson placed a hand on her shoulder. He could feel her shaking and she knew the question he was going to ask:“Do you need to head back to your room?”

            “No, I want something to eat.” She kept looking down at her keyboard, trying to maintain control.

            “Coulson,” May spoke again. “She needs to talk to him.” The two of them silently spoke over her, but right now she had to thoughts: Stay calm, and don’t lose control. Surprisingly, both were not the same thing for her, at least not anymore.

            “Let this run, and go grab a bit in the mess,” Coulson told her. She nodded, finishing the last algorithm before standing form the chair.  Her body ached from holding in everything, more than it ever did when working. She didn’t glance at her hands, knowing the broken capillaries stood out against her pale skin.

            May walked with her, silently guiding her but never touching her. She tried to block out the images she saw, to block the quakes moving through her, to just focus on what she wanted to happen since she could read. Or well, decipher the chicken scratch along her inner bicep. It was small, nearly illegible, and long, but she’d long since memorized it.

            “You’re going to be okay.” May stopped her before they entered the mess. “Reynolds is a good man, most of the time.”

            After Ward, she didn’t know how she felt about anyone, especially men who were interested in her. Soulmarks went beyond interest though, and she never really got to meet too many people on this job. Ward though her words were on him, and went so far as to try and… She shuddered and tried to focus on the good now in front of her.

            Skye pushed the door open and ignored the stab of pain through her wrist. She tried not to grimace, and had she been looking would have probably seen May’s glare at her.  Instead, she focused on the man now looking at her, a smile growing on his face.

            Mal sat, holding court with his crew, even as Bobbi, Hunter, and Fitz listened in on what had to be stories. Wash and Jayne (she wasn’t sure who was who, but there was time for that) talked animatedly, waving their hands around as they described their actions. Even as Hunter tried to jump in with something, she watched Mal stand, causing the conversation to stop. He said something to them and then moved toward her.

            “May, I think we can take it from here,” he said. May nodded, giving her a look that Skye did her best to ignore.  She walked off toward the line of food now cooling on the counters.

            “I can speak for myself,” Skye said, poking Mal in the chest. It got him to a smile – a really nice smile on a ruggedly handsome face now that she was closer to him – but he nodded in acceptance.  “And I’m hungry.”

            “How odd? So am I,” he said, waving toward the line of food set out. She walked with him, and even let herself lean into his touch as his hand fell to the center of her lower back. He felt warm, and sturdy, and there.

            Mal silently filled his plate, letting her pick what she wanted first before taking what remained from some of the pots and pans.  Even as Skye put the last roll on her plate, he just smiled and filled the space with more vegetables. She glanced at the cake, but knew May wouldn’t be happy with her taking dessert, even if a day like today called for sweets. Mal just gave her another smile and took TWO slices of cake. He even took a platter of fruit from the table, somehow balancing everything.

            “Come on,” he said, giving her a little nudge with his hip. Standing next to him, walking with him, she was surprised how much larger than her he was. He towered over her, but not in the way Ward did. Protective but not crowding or encroaching in on her. Just there. Like a tree she wanted to climb. Okay, the dirty thoughts had to wait.

            They sat together, and Skye did her best to ignore the looks on her friends’ faces. May helped a little, as did Zoe; both women glared at the men, who seemed to get the message and turned back to whatever conversation that entertained them before she entered the room.

            “So,” Skye said, pushing around some of the chicken she grabbed. That cake looked so much better than this.

            Mal pushed one of the cake slices closer to her. “Buttons.”  The giggle escaped on its own. She sliced into the cake with her fork, silently taking a bite of the sweet fluffiness. “You okay?” He asked, letting her take another bite of cake.

            “Yes,” Skye offered.

            “Not a time to lie to your soulmark.”

            “Not lying, well, not really,” Skye corrected. “I…you…you saw what happened in those files.” It wasn’t where she wanted to start, but they did bring him to her.

            “One of mine was in trouble,” Mal said, shrugging his shoulders. He silently worked on the pile of vegetables. “Seemed unfair to let her suffer in silence.” He took a bit, and it gave her a moment to try and think of how much of the truth the man deserved. “Seemed unfair to everyone to keep it locked up.” 

            But somethings deserved to be locked up. She did, or she felt like she did most of the time. Not right now, not since he said her words (really since he stepped off that plane of his).

            “It’ll take a bit to make this work, Skye said, motioning between them with her fork. He leaned forward and closed his mouth over the chunk of cake on the fork.

            “Best things do,” Mal said after he swallowed. He leaned forward, kissing her lightly on the lips. He tasted like coffee and chocolate and cream and wonderful.  “Best things do.”

            Kaylee and Mac entered the room, and before she could say anything else to him, Kaylee skipped over to Mal’s side. She started talking excitedly about something, some repairs on his ship. Mal nodded, whispered something to her which caused her to stop. The girl looked at her and then back at him to which he just nodded. Before Skye could ask what he said, Kaylee bounded around the table to wrap her into a tight hug.

            “Welcome to the family,” she whispered, giving her an extra squeeze before letting go. Mal slid the fruit plate over to Kaylee who took it with a large smile before she left them alone to sit with the others.

            “Kindest girl I know,” Mal said around another bite of food.

            “She doesn’t know anything about me.” Skye looked down at her still full plate, and tried to find her stomach to keep eating. Half of the cake was gone, and that wasn’t enough for the day, but between her powers and those files, she wondered if she’d just finally lost her appetite.

            “She knows you’ve got my words. What else she need to know?”

            What else indeed? It was an odd question, especially since they were spies. She wasn’t used to this level of trust, especially when it was offered freely. But she had to know for sure. She had to know he was hers. “Can I see mine? Not that I don’t trust you, but well, I want to make sure.” Skye tried to offer a grin.

            “Think it’s a little too private for public,” Mal said. He tapped his leg with his fork before going back to his food. She blushed once she realized where her words were on him. Instead of apologizing, she pulled back her shirt sleeve, letting him see his handwriting.

            “Took me forever to figure out what it said.”

            “I’d apologize for my writin’ but it seems kind of a waste.”

            “I kind of was surprised that someone could that many words in such a small space.”   

            “Schoolin’ only worked so well for me. Never really finished,” Mal said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Hasn’t hurt me so far, so no real lose there.”

            “Me neither. High school dropout all the way,” she said.

            “Yeah, but you can do some mighty fine things with those computers,” Mal pointed out. Her face grew hot but she refused to look away. His eyes shone their blue, like the ocean at sunrise, except well, she’d never really been to one – even with living on the West Coast for as long as she did. “Better eat up.” He motioned with his fork toward her still full plate.

            “You going to mother hen me too?” Skye asked, trying to be irritated with him, except he just smiled and let the question roll off his shoulders.

            “No offense, but I do it to everyone on my crew,” Mal said. He tapped her plate. “Eat, please.”

            “I’ll try,” Skye said, taking a bit of the luke warm chicken. “I really haven’t had much an appetite since…”

            “Since when?”

            “Since San Juan and I got infected? - No, changed is the right word – since I changed,” Skye said. Her voice dropped to a whisper at the end, trying to keep control.

            “Hey, I’m here because I wanna be here,” Mal said. He reached over and touched her shoulder lightly. “This soulmark stuff – it’s been a mighty while since anyone but me ‘aided’ me.” She could help the giggle that escaped, even as he drew little circles on her shoulder. “But just cause you’ve got my mark on you, and I yours, doesn’t make you beholden to me.

            “We’ll make this work – if you want this to work. I ain’t gonna pressure you into somethin’ you don’t want, or need.” Mal leaned back, taking his hand off her and giving her a sad smile.

            “But what if I do?” Skye asked, she leaned forward, “Need you, I mean? Soulmarks are supposed to your partner, the person who things could work out best with.”

            “Bout right I reckon,” he said. “But we’re going to need to figure it out.”

            “Like if I stay here or go with you?” Skye asked.

            “Somethin’ like that. I don’t want to tear you away from anythin', especially family,” Mal said, motioning toward the group of agents talking with his crew. “you said you’d changed?”

            “Yeah, I…I’m not sure how safe it would be if I went with you.”  Her hands began to shake, the vibrations starting up again. Her fork tumbled out of them, clinging against the table. Mal reached over, wrapping his hands over hers. She tried to breath in, to relax, and under it all, she tried to let it just go.

            “Then I reckon we figure that out together,” Mal said. He pulled on their joined hands as the haking stopped. For once it didn’t go back into her, and even with the pain settling into her joints from before, she felt the solid. “That okay?”

            “Yeah, I think,” Skye nodded as she stared at her hands. Hands that weren’t shaking or vibrating, or anything of the things they done since they left San Juan.  “Is it okay if we take it slow? Get to know each other first?”

            “Fine by me,” Mal said. He lifted her hand and gave it a gentle kiss. She shuddered – not from the shakes she couldn’t control, but in arousal. He may talk like a hick, but he certainly was a gentleman, something she never really got to experience before. “We’re in between jobs right now, so, lucky us.”

            Skye squeezed his hand, and picked up her fork with the other one. She held onto him, and in a long time, things weren’t so disorienting or odd. As she watched Doctor Tam and Jemma enter, she thought of the family she had and the family she was going to get now. Mal didn’t seem the type to walk away, not if he got here with those images and nightmares stored on the drive. She wanted to know the stories, how he got the drive, what it cost him and why he did it. There was more than just helping one of his own to it. Yet he carried around this air to him, of calmness and storm mixing together into the very definition of serenity.  Didn’t hurt he wasn’t too bad to look at either.

            “Lucky us indeed.” Skye leaned forward and stole a kiss before going back to her lunch. Things felt a little better and considering the dumbfounded look on Mal’s face, things definitely were going to be great.

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing except the plot. 
> 
> If you have a pairing you'd like read, please let me know. Anyone from anything by Whedon is fair game, so let me know. 
> 
> Up next? Buffy/Clint.


End file.
